Waves Worth Catching

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PETA Cries Constitutional Foul on Seaworld

Leave it to PETA. I love this group because the out-there actions they take get people’s attention and makes us think about our relationship with animals. In a latest effort to stop the inhumane treatment of wild-caught orcas at Seaworld, PETA is suing the amusement park for violating the 13th amendment of Constitution which prohibits slavery but does not refer to mankind only. Okay, whether you’re a speciest or not, their point hits home. In the wild, orcas live in complex social units and travel hundreds of miles a day with their pod. They are instinctual hunters.

Now picture them at Seaworld. They are held in small pools for hours and hours on end with nothing to stimulate them, nowhere to swim, and nothing to hunt. Dead fish are thrown at them and social interaction with other orcas is often denied. We’re talking about WILD orcas here…not orcas bred in captivity. And really that’s a moot point anyway; wild or not, their instinct to hunt and swim great distances still exists. Check out this picture where Tilikum is kept in a pool where his head and tail almost touch the walls end to end. All this for us to ooh and ahh at them doing “tricks.” PETA claims this is enslavement by definition.

I personally will never take my family to Seaworld. Moreover, I look forward to the day where animals behaving unnaturally, due to what is usually inhumane training techniques, is no longer considered entertainment. Blackstone Group owns Seaworld and PETA has written a letter for you to send to them. The letter demands that these whales be released into the care of sanctuaries that are prepared to care for them the RIGHT way. All you have to do is sign (i.e., type) and click. This PETA campaign is sure to get national attention. Will you be a part of that?